Shanghai artist Zhang Huan, right, and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, left, smile in front of the sculpture "Three Heads Six Arts" during a dedication ceremony in front of San Francisco City Hall in San Francisco, Wednesday, May 12, 2010. The art depicts fragmented Buddhist statues based on both Chinese mythology and Tibetan Buddhist iconography.

With the official dedication Wednesday of three-story, 15-ton "Three Heads Six Arms," by artist Zhang Huanin Civic Center Plaza, he got big.

Judging from the crowd of 200 or so, the sculpture certainly has made an impact.

But controversial?

"We did want to do something that would get some attention and generate some controversy," Newsom told the crowd. "The only thing missing is I don't think this is particularly (controversial). Everybody seems to love this thing."

The question of whether the three-headed Buddha is a religious symbol wasn't really on the radar, the mayor said, despite the recent court flap over a cross on public property in the Mojave Desert.

Zhang has said his piece was inspired by his experience hunting through a Tibetan market for remnants of religious sculptures that had been destroyed in China's Cultural Revolution.

When asked whether he was concerned about the statue being viewed as a religious symbol, the mayor smiled.

Getting a break: Muni has temporarily halted its biggest weapon against fare evasion - saturation campaigns in which fare inspectors and sometimes police officers check everyone on a bus or rail car to make sure they've paid up or have a Fast Pass - because some have apparently mistaken them for immigration raids.

"There was confusion surrounding the uniformed presence," said Kristen Holland, a Muni spokeswoman. Muni operates under a proof of payment - or POP - system in which riders are required to have a transfer, pass or properly debited Translink card while riding transit. The agency employs a force of fare inspectors who typically work in teams of two, but starting last summer, Muni began saturation inspections using teams of eight to 10 fare inspectors and two to four San Francisco police officers.

A total of 130 saturation inspections between July and March managed to check 326,293 passengers and issue 3,348 citations, which Holland said led to fewer fare evaders.

But some people complained that the saturation inspections were racist or classist, focused only at poorer neighborhoods; however, the saturation inspections have been held citywide.

"Muni fare inspection is in place to promote fare compliance and for no other reason," said agency Executive Director Nathaniel Ford. "We look forward to working with the (Immigrant Rights Commission) to ensure that our program is more sensitive to these issues."

Commission representatives did not return a call for comment, but said in a press release that they appreciated the action.

The more than three-hour hearing came after Muni imposed 10 percent service cuts and one day after the board's budget analyst issued an audit highlighting the need to rein in labor costs and calling for more robust oversight of Muni finances by the agency's governing board.

Dozens of Muni riders lined up at the microphone decrying the service reductions.

Nathaniel Ford, executive director of the MTA, said he hopes to roll back at least some of the service cuts in the fall but much depends on whether the mayor and Muni management can get operators to agree to concessions.

Supervisors also pressed Muni officials to continue hunting for other ways to cut costs and raise revenue to reverse or reduce the service cuts.

As leverage, supervisors are threatening to reject the MTA budget. In the end, the budget committee took no action.